Japa: Fayemi wants recruiting nations to pay cost of training doctors, others

Former Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has suggested that the Federal Government must demand the cost of training of doctors and other medical professionals from foreign countries that recruit them.

This, he argued, will serve as a measure of discouraging brain drain popularly called ‘Japa’.

Fayemi who made the suggestion while speaking at an induction retreat of the state Commissioner of Health in Abuja on Thursday, said a national scheme should be instituted to engage newly licensed health workers for a fixed period to make the medical personnel brain drain unattractive to Nigerian professionals.

In his keynote address on the theme: ‘Navigating health leadership from promise to impact’, Fayemi said by demanding compensation from countries recruiting Nigerian health workers, the urge for them to leave the country will reduce.

“Any countries coming to recruit doctors or health workers from Nigeria must pay for the training of the substitution of outgoing candidates,” the former governor said.

Read also: Diaspora commission boss, Dabiri-Erewa, says govt must play its role to halt ‘Japa’ syndrome

“For countries that want to come and recruit doctors from Nigeria, or health workers, you should pay for the training of the substitution.

“I’m worried about the entire health resource force that we have not just doctors, you must pay us. I would say the equivalent of training two doctors if you are taking one doctor out of our system.

“It is like tree planting. You go into the forest, when you do deforestation, afforestation must be followed and afforestation must be encouraged.

“In fact, to regulate afforestation, for every tree you cut, you must replace it with two trees planted. You must give enough funding for training those two doctors,” he said.

He however, implored the government to establish a National Health Service Scheme that would ensure a minimum standard before they can embark on leaving the country to engage their services abroad.

“For health workers, we have trained, there will be some kind of scheme, like the National Health Service scheme for newly licensed health workers that would enable them to spend some time in a fixed period not limitless from three to five years,” he added.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now